Chromatic harmonica



March 17, 1959 TORAHACHI MACHINO 2,877,679

' CHROMATIC HARMONICA Filed April l, 195'? 2 Sheets-Sheet l BY www, M

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent() CHROMATIC HARMONICA Torahachi Machino, Tokyo, Japan Application April 1, 1957, Serial No. 650,012 Claims priority, application Japan September 25, 1956 2 Claims. (Cl. 84-377) Many kinds of chromatic harmonicas have been invented and provided in the past, but most of them are com plicated in their structures. Accordingly they are not only apt to be broken down but have such defect as to be diicult to master the playing. The object of this invention is to provide a chromatic harmonica which is not only simple in its structure, easy to be mastered to play excluding the said defects, but can produce a light and beautiful tone, which has not been able to be produced by the former harmonicas at the playing. Another object of this invention is to provide a chromatic harmonica with which a speedy chromatic trill or any other technics may be played easily. Another object is to provide a harmonica of which resonance chambers are divided into many small compartments with equal intervals so that the stream of blowing or inhaling air does not influence any other reed, the noises being not produced even at the slow changing of the tones.

The further object is that there is no fear of the noises due to mixed sound of the chromatic tone and the basic tone, because the changing revolution of the sound damping plate can be made very quickly.

Besides, this invention may be applied on the known conventional double sound-harmonicas. An ordinary harmonica can be remodeled into a chromatic one by adjusting the tones of its one side reeds group to those of semi-scale higher and adding a sound damping plate.

The characteristics of this invention are as follows: A reed plate which has the reeds for basic tones arranged according to their scales is fixed on one side of the wood member with the blowing and inhaling ducts separated by the grate, and another reed plate which has the reeds for chromatic tones, semi-scale higher than the basic tones, arranged as the reeds of basic tones, are lixed on the other side. The resonance chambers, which are formed between the said reed plates and the covers which are held on the outside of the reed plates, are separated in equal intervals by the the separating plates. A bent plate for a sound damper is pivoted at the end of the wood member in order to shut or open the each sound opening, basic or chromatic tone, which is formed at the edge of the said separating plate at any time in playing.

The drawings show an embodiment of a chromatic harmonica with this invention. Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing this harmonica, a part of which cover is cut oit. Fig. 2 is a rear view in perspective. Fig. 3 shows its cross section. Fig. 4 to Fig. 6 show another embodiment of the invention; Fig. 4 is its perspective view, the cover plate being cut off partially. Fig. 5 is the perspective view of the separators and the packing. Fig. 6 shows the shape of the stamped separator in its making process.

In Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, a newly invented sound damping plate is shown in the condition of closing the sound openings of basic tones and opening those of chromatic tones.

As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3, on a surface of the central member 3 with the double blowing or inhaling ducts 1, 2 is txed a reed-plate 6 with the reeds 4 arranged according to their scales for basic tones, and on the other surface is xed a reed plate 7 with the reeds 5 for chromatic tones, semi-scale higher than the corresponding basic tones.

The outsides of the said reed plates 6, 7 are covered with curved covers 8, 9 so that the resonance chambers 10, 11 are formed between the reed plates 6, 7 and the covers 8, 9.

Each resonance chamber 10, 11 is divided into lots of small compartments 13 being separated by plates 12 in equal intervals at each pair of reeds 5, 5 for blowing and inhaling. As the upper edge of the separating plate 12 contacts closely with the inside surface of the covers 9 and the lower edge with the reed plate 7 the stream of air which passes through the slits of reeds 5, 5 in the small chamber 13 goes out only from the sound opening 14 formed at the rear edges of the separating plates 12 and never goes to other chambers. A sound damping plate 15, which has an angle cross-section, is pivoted on one side 3' of the member 3 through its axis 16 on the bearings 17, 17, and a tension spring 18 is set between the one end of the damping plate and the cover 9. And the half part of the damping plate 15 is made to keep shutting the openings 14 to damp the chromatic tones, by the tension of the spring 18. By pushing the lever 19 which attached on the damping plate 15, the plate 15 is revolved to open the sound openings 14 for chromatic tones and shut the other openings 14' for basic tones to damp the basic tones.

At playing, when this harmonica is played in the same operation as an ordinary one, the reeds of basic tones vibrate and it produces the sounds of basic tones as the sound openings 14 are usually kept shutting with the damping plate 15. When the lever 19 is pushed by a players finger, the damping plate 15 revolves to shut the other sound openings 14' for basic tones and opens the sound openings 14 for chromatic tone which produces and forwards the chromatic tones being semi-scale higher than the corresponding basic tones. When the linger is got out of the lever 19, the damping plate 15 returns and shuts again the sound openings 14 by the tension of the spring 18, and so the basic tones are produced.

In another embodiment of the invention, as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, the compartments 13 in each resonance chamber comprises a pair of parallel separating plates 12, 12 connected to each other with a bridge 12. A lot of such separating plates 12 are arranged together, being united with each next one through the packing 20 such as bre, vinyl and the like. The pair of separating plates 12, 12 and the bridge 12 may be made of brass plate as one body by stamping. The stamped brass plate, as shown in Fig. 6, is bent right angle at the both ends of the bridge 12, so that the planes of separating plates 12, 12 are parallel to each other as shown at a in Fig. 5. In this embodiment, each relative position of the compartments 13 to the reed plate 7 or 7 may be regulated by varying the thickness of the packing 20. Also in this embodiment, the arrangements of the damper 8, its operating lever 9, and other principal parts are the same as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

What l claim is:

l. A chromatic harmonica comprising, in combination: a central body having two side by side series of passages therethrough, reed plates complementing the central body at opposite sides thereof, each including automatically selective inflow and outflow responsive reeds in alternation, covers overlying the reed plates and forming outer boundaries of a series of resonance chambers, each resonance chamber covering an adjacent pair of inflow and outtiow reeds, each separated from its neighbors by several parallel contiguous transverse plates, and each having its own distinct outlet to the atmosphere at the back of the harmonica, the outlets at each side of the harmonica being -disposed in arrow and terminating in a common plane, and a common manually operable control valve disposed exteriorly of the `harmonica body for closing all the outlets of one row in one position of the valve and all ,the .outlets of the other row in another position of the valve, said valve comprising a single continuous tplate bent along the middle to form an obtuse dihedral angle, means rockably connecting the vertex portion of the valve plate along the longitudinal center of the back of the central body, and a rearwardly extending operating vlinger rigid with the valve plate.

2. A chromatic harmonica comprising, in combination: a central body having two side by side series of passages therethrough, reed plates complementing the central *body at opposite sides thereof, each including automatically selective Yinflow and outflow responsive reeds in alternation, covers overlying the reed plates and forming outer 'boundaries of a series of resonance chambers, each resonance .chamber covering an adjacent pair of inflow and outflow reeds, each chamber being bounded at its ends by a unit consisting of two parallel end plates and a connecting bridge between them, sheets of soft yieldable material interposed between the adjacent end plates of ,asf/zere yneighboring units and permanently joined with them to 25 combine all the divider units and plates at one side into a single composite divider. unit, each resonance chamber having its own distinct outlet to the atmosphere at the back of the harmonica, the outlets at each side of the harmonica being disposed in a row and terminating in a common plane, and a common manually operable control valve disposed exteriorly of the harmonica body for closing all the outlets of one row in one position of the valve and all the outlets of the other row in another position of the valve, said valve comprising a single continuous plate bent along the middle to form an obtuse dihedral angle, means rockably connecting the vertex por tion of the valve plate along the longitudinal center of the back of the central body, and a rearwardly extending operatingrnger rigid with the valve plate.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS .2,459,184 Ruino 4 Ian. 1,8, 1,949

r-2,745,307 Elsasser May 15, ,19456 2,755,696 jLegler ..--V July 24, 1,956

FOREIGN PATENTS 74,338 Netherlands Mar. l5, Y1954 

